Who Are You?
by justafan245
Summary: Sequel to 'A Kiss Is Just A Kiss'. Not sure what i think about it so please tell me yourselves! Zutara.


Yea, its the sequel to 'A Kiss Is Just A Kiss' - i've literally just banged this out on the keypad - so if there's any WTF? moments please let me know! Thanks to anyone who gave me ideas - you know who you are and you'll no what ideas i used :)

Disclaimer: Do not own a thing, crimbo pressies stole away all my money :(

Who Are You?

A few days had seen the young mans temper calmed and therefore Iroh thought he was safe to ask his nephew to help with the shopping: they were running low on supplies. He had dragged the grumbling Zuko round the market place until he was satisfied they had everything they needed (and some things Zuko was sure they _didn't _need) they began walking back to the shop with Zuko carrying more than his fair share of the produce.

The crowd was large and bustling in the 'end of the day' panic buy and shut up shop atmosphere. Zuko was being constantly jogged and pushed until finally the mountain of oranges that were balanced precariously on top of the other various items in his arms made their bid for freedom, running all over the marketplace.

Katara was walking through the market place with her brother and Aang when suddenly a speeding orange hit her foot. Picking it up in confusion she looked around for the owner; her face drained as her blue eyes caught hold of amber ones. The colour soon came back to her cheeks however when she saw the red stain engulf most of Zuko's face. She was unnerved to see the person who had been plaguing so many of her thoughts and dreams lately, standing right in front of her.

"Zuko!" she gasped, then realised that the old man travelling with him was shaking his head vigorously.

"Lee, not Zuko, call him Lee," the old man whispered furiously. She looked at him in confusion, Lee? What was going on? Seeing the distressed look on Zuko's face she decided to play along, he obviously wanted his true identity to be concealed and with a jolt she remembered the night he had protected her from the Dai Li.

"Lee," she replied softly.

She saw both Sokka and Aang tense, ready to strike if necessary, the suspicion etched on both their faces. She realised with a sickening feeling that they were also giving _her_ strange looks and her face burned harder. Ignoring them as much as she could, she turned to face Zuko again.

"This yours?" It was hardly a speech but it was all she could manage before her voice jumped back into her throat in fear and embarrassment. It appeared Zuko had lost his voice too as he only managed a small head movement which she took as a yes.

She slowly moved towards Zuko and placed the orange in Zuko's free hand that he had managed to untangle from the mess in his arms. As she did so their fingers touched, if briefly, yet this small touch sent such a shock of electricity up her arm that she could barely breathe. Catching his eye she wondered if he had felt it too; for a moment she thought he had but he quickly looked away again. Suddenly though he captured her eyes in his gaze again.

"Thank you." It was barely audible to anyone but her, hardly a whisper, but she couldn't keep the shock out of her face. Had Zuko actually just shown gratitude? Not only shown it, but _expressed _it too! As she thought over her past experiences with the prince she could not think of one instance when he had ever showed appreciation for others efforts. He was always shouting, always angry, especially to that nice old man who was with him now, currently grinning from ear to ear. This struck her as rather odd so she shot him a quick quizzical look before replying to Zuko.

"No, thank _you_ – for everything." She then turned abruptly and walked away, closely flanked by Aang and Sokka, the latter of whom was still giving the prince distrustful looks.

"I'm telling you Katara, I don't like the way he looked at you," three hours later and Sokka was _still_ talking about it.

"Look, I've already told you Sokka, there was NOTHING GOING ON!"

"Yea, because _that_ sounds like nothing", Sokka muttered underneath his breath.

Screaming in frustration Katara ran out of the house in search of her element, needing to feel its cool, calming effect on her body. She headed towards the centre of the town, towards the fountain.

Katara loved the fountain, especially at night; she loved the way the moonlight and the lanterns made patterns across the falling water, it was calm and it was soothing and just what she needed to forget her idiotic brother. Had he really seen something in Zuko's eyes? Could it be…

But no, she would not let herself think like that, she would forget.

She walked up to the stone rim and sat down upon it, dipping her fingers in the water, pulling it up slightly and then letting it fall down again with a faint _plop_. Little did she know that someone was watching her, hidden in the shadows, out of her sight.

Zuko had been unable to sleep; his head was too full of the meeting with Katara. He couldn't escape the way he had felt when she had touched him, however brief and accidental that touch had been, he couldn't deny the electric feeling, the way his heart beat had sped up and the way his head almost exploded; all he had wanted to do was take her in his arms and never let her go, never lose that feeling she gave him. In thinking of her he began to think about Jin and his date with her. She had been nice, but it was nothing like he had felt for Katara and she just wouldn't leave his mind, he couldn't stop thinking what it would have been like to have taken _her _on a date. He couldn't believe the way she had made him feel, how she was still making him feel and he came to the realisation that, although it was stronger now, he had always found the girl interesting and strong and…attractive?

He shook his head, dispelling any thoughts of the kind. He could not and _would_ not fall for a water-bending peasant!

Slipping out of his apartment he began to walk without aim or purpose. Had he been fully conscious of his actions he would have realised he was retracing his date with Jin but it was quite a different girl who was filling his thoughts now. Before long he became aware that he was at the firelight fountain, it took a second longer for him to realise he was not alone and only a moment more to discover it was, in fact, Katara who had destroyed his privacy.

He watched, fascinated, as she played with her element, her fingers gracefully skimming the water. His former resolve broke and the urge to reach out and touch those fingers was so strong that he found it hard to fight it, he stopped himself however as he realised that he had no idea what her reaction would be, would she think he had been spying, that he wanted to capture her, that…

The list was endless and he knew he deserved every suspicion. Peasant or no peasant, he was unworthy of her and that was the bottom line. He turned to leave but as he did he realised he may never have a chance to talk to her again, alone and away from the battle-field. He cleared his throat and nearly ran away again a she looked in shock, then realising who it was, fixed him with her steely gaze.

"Hello," he called out in a voice unnaturally choked and at a higher tone than his normal speech. Hello? How pathetic did that sound? Well it was a start and she hadn't drowned him yet.

She bowed stiffly and looked away into the centre of the fountain. Tentatively Zuko stepped closer.

"Urrrr lovely night isn't it?" He winced as he heard himself utter yet another cliché. He was talking about the weather? He really could have slapped himself but he was sure that would only make her think he was even more crazy. She was certainly looking at him like he was crazy.

"What are you doing?" She said it coldly, without feeling. It was the most passive he had ever seen her.

"Trying to talk to you." He tried to keep the confusion out of his voice but had a feeling he was failing miserably.

"Why? We never talked before, why should we start now?" Irritation swelled within him, what was with all the questions? He calmed himself down as much as he could before he replied.

"I wanted to."

"Yes," she breathed after a small pause.

He stood stunned by the beauty of her eyes that were currently staring into his; he felt he could drown in them, lose himself in the deep blue. Not wishing to lose this sudden compliance he quickly spoke again.

"Yes what?"

"It is a lovely night."

Zuko smiled softly, apparently he had said the right thing and she seemed to be co-operating now.

Katara's heart caught in her throat as she saw his little half-smile that she knew he was trying to hide from her, trying to hide his satisfaction in getting her to talk. She desperately wanted to know why talking to her meant so much to him at this present moment when it never had before; this was the longest she had been in his presence without being called 'peasant' and she couldn't help but wonder if this change of manners was brought on by a change of heart. Whether she wished or feared this to be true she couldn't tell; her feelings had been so fluctuant recently it was hard to know what she was feeling from one moment to the next.

After standing in some time for silence she realised that the responsibility of finding a subject to talk about had now fallen on her and a thousand questions clamoured in her mind: 'How did you get that scar', 'Why are you here?' and 'Did you feel what I felt that night?'. She was sure none of them were appropriate for conversation such as this so she decided to continue, in a fashion, with his.

"It's my favourite time you know, night-time, I almost feel I can escape." She ran her hands through the water again, the water following her every whim.

He looked up at her in surprise, "Escape? What do you need to escape from?"

"I don't really know, the world maybe, but mostly – I suppose – myself." She glanced up at his face again, "Things that happen in the night-time, sometimes – I don't know, sometimes it feels as though your day-time self – your real self – would never allow it, but at night, in the darkness, you can live a little, not listen to your conscience as much as you should do, and this can allow you to experience things you could never even have dreamed of, or believed yourself capable of if you had."

The earnestness of her voice was not lost on the now extremely uncomfortable prince. He had not expected such a brash allusion to their kiss or her feelings towards it, and, however inarticulately it had been spoken, nobody could have denied what she was trying to put across.

"So, whatever happens out there, in your 'escape', you're just going to sweep it all under the carpet, never think about it again, deny what happened?" He said quietly and bitterly, the frustration and suppressed anger seeping through.

"Zuko! There's nothing to think about! Nothing to deny! It was just a kiss, not even that it was just a ploy to keep us safe from the Dai Li, no thought went into it and none came out of it! I'm sorry if you felt anything different." Katara screamed it at him, and had it not been for the tears silently falling down her face he would have believed it. She turned away from him, sobbing quietly into her hands.

Gingerly he moved towards her and put a hand on her shaking shoulder, and feeling no resistance, wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her back flush up against his chest. He was unsure of why he decided to do this he just knew he wanted it, and, being the person he was, he took it. He had expected her to break away, yell at him or even tense up but she did neither. He was surprised and happy to find that she seemed to lean into his embrace, resting her head against his upper body, like she had been there all her life.

Katara relaxed into his arms, unconscious of what she was doing, it was late, she was tired and upset and just wanted to be held. She leant her head against his chest, remembering when she had been in his arms once before, when he had kissed her. She smiled slightly at the memory, having long since admitted it was one of the most precious she had. With some alarm she realised that he had lowered his head to her level; he was so close it was unnerving.

"That kiss wasn't 'just a kiss'," he whispered against her neck, his lips brushing her skin, making her shiver involuntarily, "maybe it started out as a ploy, a plan but it didn't end like that, we both wanted it, you can't fake something like that."

She tensed and turned to look at him, her eyes wide and searching.

"Who are you," she asked.

"Wh -what?" He asked, extremely confused, "you know who I am."

"No I don't."

"I don't understand."

"I don't know who you are, I thought I did but now I'm not so sure."

She sat down on the edge of the fountain again, looking at the floor. Zuko, uncertain of what to do next, simply stood there.

'It's like every time I meet you, you're a different person. First you were Prince Zuko of the fire nation, hunting down my best friend, using me as bait. Then you're Zuko in hiding, who instead of sacrificing his enemy to save himself devises a plan which helps her too, however humiliating it may be to him. Then you are Lee in the street, who shows gratitude, who would utter a simple thank you when someone picks up something he dropped. And now…" she trailed off, looking to the floor

"And now…" he encouraged slowly, understanding how odd this must be for her, how strange he must seem to her. It was lucky she didn't know about the Blue Spirit as well, that would take some explaining.

"I don't know who you are," she repeated softly.

"That's not surprising, I don't know who I am either," he said quietly and sadly, sitting down beside her and burying his face in his hands. "I just don't feel like I have an identity of my own, no matter what I do I just can't find myself."

Something snapped within Katara as she saw him sitting there so helpless when he had always appeared to her so strong. The man she knew so little about was calling to her in a way she could not begin to explain. She felt there was a connection between the two of them that no-one else could share, a connection she had not felt before in her life nor did she think she ever would again.

In a matter of seconds all her previous meetings with the Prince flashed before her eyes: there he was walking off his ship at the South Pole, so threatening, so sure of himself; here she was tied to a tree while he earnestly but gently tried to persuade her into betraying her friend; then they were fighting at the North Pole, evenly matched , relying on the strength from either the sun or the moon to get them through; there he was bending over his injured Uncle, showing compassion and love she had never seen in him before; there she was while he bestowed his unexpected kiss upon her under the lantern in the small backstreet, creating feelings she had seldom felt before; and now they were in the present with him sitting beside of her and she felt she had never understood him so fully as she did now.

She struggled with these new feelings that sparked such conflict within her; feelings she had scarce admitted to herself in her dreams. As she studied the man she thought she hated she realised that hate had disappeared long ago, it was now replaced with something quite different, something she couldn't place. Like perhaps? But could she really like someone she knew nothing about?

Her eyes grew large as she realised what her thought process was leading her to; something so powerful it scared her yet she couldn't ignore it. She looked again at Zuko. He really was very handsome…

She flung her arms around him, the force of her doing so nearly knocking him into the fountain. He was evidently surprised but also extremely pleased and he smiled as he wrapped his arms around her to prevent himself falling backwards.

"Zuko, I think I know who you are," she said, her face looking up earnestly into his own.

"Oh yes?" He said gently as he moved her so that she was sitting astride his lap, her arms still around his neck, "Who am I?"

She rested her head against his chest, loving the warmth of him against her cheek.

"The boy I fought with and the boy who infuriated me to the brink of madness," she said, loving the surprised and slightly irritated look spreading across Zuko's features, "but also the boy who surprised me, the boy who I realise I misjudged so badly and," she paused again, taking a deep breath, "the man I'm in love with," she continued tenderly, running her hands down his chest, amazed at how toned it was.

"Katara…" he breathed, looking into her eyes intently and questioningly, hardly believing he had heard her utter those words. After a few seconds he smiled and ran his fingers under her jaw line, tilting her chin up towards him.

"Thank you," he whispered before placing his lips firmly on hers.

Both lost themselves in the kiss, both relishing the feel of belonging, of being at home in one another's arms. The feeling of electricity both had experienced during their brief touch at the market had increased tenfold sending thrills shooting through their bodies. Both knew instinctively that there could never be something like this again, they couldn't experience this with another person, it had to be each other.

Katara broke away from the kiss first and buried her head into his neck, breathing in his scent. She smiled as Zuko wrapped his arms more tightly around her, resting his head against hers.

"This is so wrong," she murmured softly over his shoulder.

"So, so wrong," he agreed. She moved her head so she could look at his face and the small, sad smile spread across it.

"I don't think they'd understand – I mean we are just so different," she sighed, "we both have so much we need to do…Zuko I'm scared, I don't want to lose you -"

She stopped speaking as he placed a finger against her lips and shook his head at her.

"It is enough for me to know that you love me, I never thought that that could be, it's more than I deserve." He watched amused as she tried to protest, "Shhhh! It's true I don't deserve you but I'm glad to have you all the same, even if it is for just one night."

"What do we do now then?" She whispered

"Wait until sunrise, I guess, then go our separate ways," he said, looking at the ground, unwilling to see the hurt in her eyes. In the same instance however, he was suddenly seized with the urge to imprint this girl in his memory forever, exactly as she was at this moment, this night, when she had told him she loved him.

"Katara, I want to know everything about you," he said earnestly, "everything! I want to know every little detail about your past and present and what you want to do in the future – you know after the war…"

She grinned at him, "fine, but only if you tell me everything about you too!"

"It's not pretty," he warned, his face clouding as he thought of his past.

"I didn't expect it to be. Zuko, I just want to know," she paused searching for the right word, "…you."

The rest of the night was spent with the couple sitting very close together talking none stop for hours. When all words failed them they simply held each other, entwined in each others arms as if fearful of being pried away by some unknown force.

Zuko looked to the east and saw what his heart had been dreading for the past few hours, the moment he knew must come but wanted to deny anyway: the sun was rising. Slowly he rested his head against her own and cradled her against him; holding her, feeling her and taking in her scent for one last time, his tears lost in her hair.

* * *

hmmmmmmmmmm - i like some of it, some of it i hate - far too cliche in parts - but review and tell me what you think of it - i'm sorry if it didn't live up to your expectations - argh i'm scared!


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